Archive
Somebody’s First Comic Book: Superman (1939 Series) #299
Wondering what Somebody’s First Comic Book is all about? The explanation is on this page!
TITLE: The Double-Or-Nothing Life of Superman
CREDITS:
Writer: Cary Bates & Elliot S! Maggin
Art: Curt Swan & Bob Oksner
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Publisher: DC Comics
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE: Superman I know – but why is his suit empty? And who are these guys surrounding him?
IMPRESSIONS: Evidently, Superman’s next-door neighbor is an alien. But not a nice one, like Superman is. He’s the sort who is planning an invasion or something and has gone about it in a ridiculously roundabout way – somehow he’s found a way to remove Superman’s powers whenever he changes to Clark Kent. Superman has decided to test this out by spending an entire week only as Clark, then a week only as Superman. After his time is up, he’s about to decide on which life to stick with full-time (for some reason), when his alien adversary rounds up nine of – as Superman puts it, “the most fearsome super-villains [he’s] ever fought!” I don’t know about how fearsome they are. Lex Luthor, sure. The Parasite and Brainiac look pretty formidable too, and I’m sure I can understand why he’d be afraid of someone named Kryptonite Man. But we’ve got a dwarf in a derby hat called Mr. Mxyzptlk, a chubby guy in a plaid coat called the Prankster, a weirdo called the Toyman, a goofy cowboy called Terra-Man, and someone named Amalak who doesn’t do much but stand around looking purple. (A lot of Superman’s enemies seem dedicated to a purple-and-green color scheme for some reason. Five of the nine wear those colors exclusively, and only Toyman doesn’t have any of them at all.)
Anyway, Superman goes out to round up these guys in a fashion that comes so easily one must seriously question how tough the rest of the criminals in Metropolis are, if these are the most fearsome of the bunch. Then we get an explanation for Superman’s power loss that makes you wonder why the hell it took him three weeks to figure it out, and then he beats the alien using an even more convoluted series of events.
There’s a bold proclamation on the first page of the issue: “The greatest hero the world has ever known in his most magnificent adventure of all time!” I’m hoping this was mere hyperbole, because as far as adventures go, this wasn’t particularly magnificent. I understood this just fine. That didn’t make it less silly.
GRADE: C
Superman/Batman #35
May 25, 2007
Superman/Batman #35 (DC Comics)
By Mark Verheiden, Marc Guggenheim & Pat Lee
After a particularly poor launch issue, the “Metal Men” story arc improves a bit this issue. It becomes clearer that this story is intended to be in-continuity (although it’s not clear why Batman and Superman don’t seem to know Will Magnus) and we see a bit more about what place the Metal Men have in the DCU. The story isn’t too bad, save for the glitch about Magnus. What’s really holding this arc back, again, is the artwork. Pat Lee‘s talents are good with robots, tech, that sort of thing, which I imagine is what made him seem like a good choice for the Metal Men’s re-introduction to the DCU. The problem is, as good as his robots are, his human characters are just as poor. I love the Metal Men characters, and I couldn’t be happier that they’ve got a miniseries and a movie in the works — but man, I can’t wait for this arc to be over, because they deserve better.
Rating: 6/10
Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost #1
June 23, 2011
Title: Kid Flash Lost Part One
Writer: Sterling Gates
Pencils: Oliver Nome
Inks: Trevor Scott
Colorist: Brian Buccellato
Letterer: Dezi Sienty
Cover: Francis Manapul
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Publisher: DC Comics
With the timeline of the DC Universe irrevocably altered, Kid Flash (himself a time anomaly) wakes up in a 31st century far different from the one in which he was born. He and Hot Pursuit – and not the same Hot Pursuit he met in the 21st century – are cut off from the Speed Force, fleeing the conquering forces of Brainiac, and in danger of having their own timelines changed irrevocably.
This is one of the better Flashpoint miniseries to date. Bart Allen is an exciting character to begin with, but this issue really puts him in a tough spot. He’s cut off from his friends, from his powers, from everything. This incarnation of Hot Pursuit raises a lot of questions as well, and the danger that they face together could serve to bond them in interesting ways. It makes you wonder if this Hot Pursuit, as opposed to the other one, will find a place in the new DC Universe come September.
Oliver Nome is a good artist, and I particularly like his version of Hot Pursuit. The devastated landscape of the 31st century looks good too, and even raises questions about how the dots can be connected from the present-day Flashpoint world to the world Bart is trapped in. Having Francis Manapul on covers is a treat any way you slice it. It’s a strong issue that looks at the crossover from a totally different angle than any of the other tie-ins.
Rating: 8/10
Action Comics #900
May 28, 2011
Title: The Black Ring Finale/Reign of Doomsday
Writers: Paul Cornell, Damon Lindelof, Paul Dini, Geoff Johns, David S. Goyer, Richard Donner, Derek Hoffman
Art: Pete Woods, Jesus Merino, Dan Jurgens, Norm Rapmund, Rags Morales, Ardian Syaf, Jamal Igle, Jon Sibal, Gary Frank, Ryan Sook, RB Silva, Rob Lean, Miguel Sepulveda, Matt Camp
Colorist: Brad Anderson, Blond, Java Tarfaglia, Paul Mounts
Letterers: Rob Leigh, John J. Hill
Cover: David Finch
Editor: Matt Idelson
Publisher: DC Comics
For the better part of a year now, Lex Luthor has been seeking the secret of the Black Ring, an enormous source of power that he craves more than anything. Finally, last month, he defeated Brainiac and made that power his own. Also, over the past few months, the hideous beast called Doomsday has been storming the DC Universe, abducting those who wear the shield of Superman – Steel, Superboy, Supergirl, the Eradicator, and the Cyborg Superman. Now, with both of these threats converging, Superman makes his triumphant return to Action Comics. Is it in time, though, to save the day?
As I’ve come to expect from Paul Cornell, the main story here is really fantastic. The fateful confrontation between Superman and Lex Luthor is one of the best in recent memory, tracing the adventures of both Superman and Lex to show what truly makes each man what he is. It’s powerful stuff, and by the end there can be no question about exactly who these two men are, what makes them tick, and what will forever keep them separate. The finale of the story, leading into the next arc of Action Comics, is a little clichéd, but not the sort of thing that really hurt this issue or the fantastic Black Ring storyline at all.
This being a ginormous 96-page anniversary special, we also get a wealth of back-up features. In “Life Support,” Damon Lindelof and Ryan Sook look at the final days of Krypton. It’s a Jor-El story, extremely sad and extremely powerful. Paul Dini has an interesting little story with “Autobiography,” where Superman encounters an ancient being facing a fate that may one day be Kal-El’s own. It’s a good tale that provides some nice food for thought. Geoff Johns and Gary Frank give us the brief “Friday Night in the 21st Century,” a rapid tale about Lois, Clark and the Legion of Super-Heroes. This creative team was with both Superman and the Legion for far too brief a time, and I do wish we could see them all together again.
This finally brings us to the elephant in the issue, David. S. Goyer and Miguel Sepulveda’s “The Incident.” If you’re not a regular reader of this title and you heard about it at all, chances are it’s because of this story, in which Superman decides to renounce his American citizenship, presumably because he doesn’t want to be seen as an instrument of U.S. policy. A lot of people were upset over this story, but for several reasons, it’s kind of antiquated already. First of all, since this book came out there have been at least two other comics featuring Superman embracing his American heritage. That further seems to indicate that this was just a brief story, something to fill pages with a name creator, not intended to be followed up on. Second, it’s a weak story. It makes Superman seem… well… stupid. He’s a reporter, for Heaven’s sake, does he really think that showing up at the U.N. and making this announcement would endear him to anyone? The people of the United States would be outraged, and the enemies of the U.S. that he doesn’t want to antagonize would call it a political trick and continue to be antagonized. Superman is simply too smart for this story to make any sense. As a result, we’re left with a story that feels like the creator’s weak attempt at pushing forth his own political agenda in a story that will have no consequences on future stories whatsoever.
“Only Human” is the final story in the volume, and it’s an odd one. It’s a screenplay written by Richard Donner, director of the first Superman movie (and one time co-writer of this series) and Derek Hoffman, with storyboards by Matt Camp. It’s an okay story, one that feels very appropriate for Superman, but it’s more of an oddity than anything else. The book wraps it all up with a fantastic pin-up by Brian Stelfreeze which shows Superman through the ages, including an American flag grasped in his hands in the final piece of the sequence. So take that, Goyer.
Overall, it’s a great issue, with just that one poorly-chosen story to hurt the package.
Rating: 7/10
DC Universe Online Legends #1
February 5, 2011
Title: Legendary
Writer: Marv Wolfman & Tony Bedard
Art: Howard Porter, Livesay, Adriana Melo & Norman Lee
Colorist: Carrie Strachan
Letterer: Wes Abbott
Cover: Ed Benes & Randy Mayor
Editor: Ben Abernathy
Publisher: DC Comics
I’ve been enjoying the hell out of playing the new DC Universe Online video game, so I didn’t have any problem picking up the first issue of the biweekly maxiseries tying in to the adventure. This first issue, at least, seems to be all prequel. Using the opening movie that starts the game as its basis, we see as a future Lex Luthor finally succeeds in his long-time goal of destroying Superman and his allies. As he does so, though, his ally Brainiac turns on him, taking advantage of the power vacuum among Earth’s superhumans to launch an invasion. In minutes, Lex goes from world-conqueror to the leader of the rebellion.
The book is split between two timelines. In the future, we watch as Lex assembles the remaining heroes and villains to take a stand against Brainiac. In the present, we see Lex forging that alliance in the first place. Being a player of the game, I’m intrigued, but a bit confused. The game begins with this “future Lex” coming back to the present to warn the Justice League against the danger presented by his younger self. The dual timelines, though, make for a strange narrative. I can’t really tell what the thrust of this series is going to be – today or tomorrow? With luck, the next issue will make that clear.
The artwork is okay here. Porter and Livesay handle the scenes in the future, and the devastation left behind by Luthor’s war comes across really well. In the present, Melo and Lee don’t have as much action to illustrate, but their depiction of modern-day Luthor looks very nice. The Ed Benes cover is strong, except for (oddly enough) his Wonder Woman. It may just be the angle, but her face looks a bit off to me.
It’s not a bad way to kick off the series, but I hope it solidifies itself soon.
Rating: 7/10
The Back Issue Bin 